Last week, we were sent this Craigslist ad
where someone was trying to sell their old, sitting for “several
years,” farm use-plated, Diesel Jetta by pitching it as an “EMP Proof”
vehicle. First of all, a farm use Jetta? Did the pigs use it to commute to their day jobs telemarketing?
EMP stands for “electromagnetic pulse,” and
it’s essentially a big burst of electromagnetic radiation, which we
know as electricity, magnetic fields, radio waves, WiFi, and all manner
of other pulses and waves and whatnot. The British called this same
phenomenon “radioflash,” which sounds way cooler.
It’s a commonly used device in sci-fi, including the upcoming show Revolution, which features an EMP-like device shutting off all the world’s electronic devices.
Can it really happen? How can you prepare your car? Should you even bother?